敛财 (liǎn cái) — to amass wealth by unfair or corrupt means; to rake in money through dishonest methods

Definition

A formal, written verb meaning to accumulate wealth through corrupt or dishonest means (e.g. bribery, price-gouging). Almost always carries a negative, accusatory tone — it describes wrongdoing, not legitimate earning.

verb
to amass wealth by unfair or corrupt meansto rake in money through dishonest methods

Examples

  • 敛财，。
    Nà ge guān yuán lì yòng zhí quán dà sì liǎn cái, zuì zhōng bèi diào chá le.
    That official used his authority to ruthlessly amass wealth and was eventually investigated.
  • 敛财，。
    Zhè xiē shāng rén kào hōng tái wù jià liǎn cái, lǎo bǎi xìng yuàn shēng zài dào.
    These businessmen amassed wealth by jacking up prices, and the people were full of complaints.
  • ，。
    Tā liǎn lái de bú yì zhī cái, zuì zhōng dōu bèi chōng gōng liǎo.
    All the ill-gotten wealth he had raked in was eventually confiscated.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

敛liǎngather
财cáiwealth

敛 means to gather and 财 means wealth, so 敛财 describes gathering money, often unfairly.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 斂; 敛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān斂
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 斂 is built from 攴, a part tied to the meaning, and 僉, a part giving the sound; the simplified 敛 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 敛 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 財; 财 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
才
才cái財cái
Same sound today

The traditional form 財 has 貝 (shell) next to 才, which gives the sound; the simplified 财 is a later shorthand.

Open 财 →

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